alleryHow many counterexamples can disprove a general claim?
AAt least ten cases
BHalf of all cases
COnly a single one
DEvery possible case
Answer & Solution
Correct answer: C. Only a single one
1. A universal claim must hold in every case.
2. So a single counterexample is enough to bring it down.
3. Many cases are needed to support a claim, never to refute it.
_Source: Wikipedia, "Conjecture" (rev ?), section "Proof"_
Keep practising Mathematics Education
Browse all Mathematics Education questions for CTET, or explore more Mathematics Pedagogy topics.
Related questions
In proof by exhaustion, the conclusion is established by:Can a deductive argument with a false premise still be valid?A valid argument whose premises are all true is called:Euclid asks us to accept that any two points can be joined by:Which is a postulate of Euclidean geometry?Mathematical elegance includes simplicity, symmetry, completeness and:The validity of a theorem depends only on:Teachers with weak subject knowledge may struggle to: